Pioneering

My wife and I have a bit of a pioneering spirit, and sometimes we even find ourselves being the ones breaking new ground. For example, we were the first ones (and only ones) of our organization to do language school in Bangkok. Another example is that we were part of the first team our organization sent to work in Isaan. Earlier this year, we were the first ones in our organization to go through the complicated process of getting back to Thailand. But yesterday, we had a different kind of first.

It was our day off and we were tired of hanging around our house all the time because of COVID-related travel restrictions. So we decided to go check out a couple of waterfalls on the edge of Kalasin and Mukdahan provinces. The first waterfall we went to was in Kalasin Province. We almost didn't find it because the sign was overgrown and even the parking area was washed out from the road such that we couldn't get our car onto it. Tat Thong Waterfall was fairly dry due to the lack of rain this year, but there were some pretty rock formations in the creek bed.

Tat Thong Waterfall

It was not too far to the next waterfall, but it took a while because the road was not in great shape. This was not your typical tourist route. Eventually we arrived at Kaeng Pho Waterfall Park. This park had had both some smaller upper rapids and a larger waterfall downstream. Upstream from the rapids was a popular wading spot. Fortunately, it was a weekday and there were not a lot of visitors.

Rapids at Kaeng Pho

Kaeng Pho Waterfall

After visiting Kaeng Pho, it was getting to be lunchtime. At this point we were in a very rural area that did not look like it saw a lot of tourists. We went through several villages and finally came to a larger one (still quite small, but larger than some of the others) named Non Somboon, which translates, "Bountiful Hill". (There are actually a lot of villages by that name in Isaan.) We finally saw a place that had several pots out on a counter and some picnic tables so we figured it must be a restaurant, even though there was no kind of signage to let us know what it was.

Restaurant in Non Sombun

The shopkeeper made us feel welcome and she even spoke a few words of English. After we sat down with our meal, someone came out all excited and took our picture. She said we were the first "Europeans" to eat there. I guess it was a "first" for us to have that kind of honor. And even though we were unusual guests at the restaurant, they didn't make us feel like oddities. (She also used the term "European" instead of "farang," which may also be a first for us.)

Green Curry with Chicken

We were surprised that we had the distinction of being the first Westerners at the restaurant. There are Westerners scattered throughout Isaan, usually foreign men married to Isaan women. It is sometimes had to find a village without at least one "European" living in it. What mattered to us, though, was that the food was good—we had green curry with chicken over rice. Two plates of food and two bottles of water for about $3.50 US. I would put a review of the restaurant on Google Maps, but I wouldn't know what to call it.

After lunch, we continued on our journey, not sure where we would end up or which route might eventually get us back home. But about ten minutes down the road from the restaurant, we saw a sign for another waterfall. We turned off the pavement and down a dirt track to a parking area. Then we followed an unmarked trail, assuming it would take us to the waterfall. This one was called Huai Lao.

Huai Lao Waterfall

This area seemed to be a popular hangout for teenagers.

It took us a few hours to meander home from this last waterfall. We caught some rain and some pretty cloudscapes along the way.

Cloudscapes Along the Way

It was nice to have a day out in the country, something that doesn't seem to happen much in these days of COVID-related travel restrictions. This was actually our first time to go into Mukdahan Province. Even though the driving was a bit tiring, we came back refreshed and happy to have a day to do some exploring around the place we call home.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Psalm 19:1 (ESV)

Modern Miracles

 The time had finally come. After a year in exile due to COVID-19, we were about to go home to Thailand. The process of making it happen, though, was quite daunting—getting visas, health certificates, COVID tests, booking a quarantine hotel room, buying special insurance, and not to mention the hours and hours of research to figure out  how to do it all.

We left early on a Friday morning, leaving ample time to not have to rush. We pulled off the highway at Pyramid Lake to enjoy one last view of the Los Angeles Mountains before leaving the country for a few years.

Pyramid Lake

We were happy that all of our paperwork was in order and they allowed us to check into our flight. We weren't really looking forward to the 15 hour 45 minute-long first leg to Doha Qatar. We've never been on a single flight for such a length of time. How would we manage?

Our Qatar Flight to Doha

After they served our first meal, about 2 hours into the flight, I noticed the display in front of me: 13h 46m Remaining.

Time Remaining 13 Hours 46 Minutes

At first glance it seemed overwhelming—already on the plane 2 hours and still that much time left. Then I thought about it some more. Our first stop was Doha, 11 hours ahead of Los Angeles. I'm thinking that seems like it might be just shy of half-way around the world. Turns out it's actually 8300 miles (13,400 km) - about 1/3 the way around. And we we flying just over 15 hours to do that. One-third the way around the world in only 15 hours and on a single tank of gas!

Suddenly, my perspective changed. What an amazing time we live in. Who would have thought that such a thing would be possible. Its been only 116 years since the Wright Brother's first successful flight of an airplane. Their plane flew less than 200 feet and only reached about 10 feet off the ground. It makes me wonder what transportation will look like in another 100 years.

In Genesis 1:26 (ESV) we read: Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." It seems that one of the qualities we received being made in God's image and likeness is creativity. While our creative genius does not reach to making planets that fly around stars and making solar systems spin around inside galaxies, we are able to learn from the natural laws God put in place and harness that knowledge to do some pretty amazing things.

God, I thank you for how you made the universe in such a way that everything works according to natural laws. Because of this we humans can figure out ways to do lots of amazing things. Help us to use that knowledge in order to help one another and not to bring harm. And let us not be negligent in giving You glory because You are the One who makes it all possible.

Partial Fulfillment of Perpetual Wanderlust

I.e. On the road again

That's how it seems sometimes.

Today we are on a journey to Isaan to find a place to live for the next few years.  While I was planning the journey, I noticed that Google Maps traced out a route that was a bit shorter than using the more major roads.  It would cut about 2 hours of travel time.

But I was a bit dubious.  I was thinking that we would be ready to spend the night somewhere along that lonely stretch, and it did not look like there were a lot of options for lodging in the the small villages along the way.  I had pretty much decided not to go.

But then we made good time getting to the turnoff for the shortcut--and that in spite of stopping by the motor vehicle department to renew vehicle registration.  So I figured we should go for it.  A few miles in, we came to an intersection and as I rounded the corner, my brain made a mental jump.  A sense of adventure kicked in as we entered what  for us was new terrain.  This is not an area frequented by foreigners.  There are not many people to speak English to.

Eventually we made it to Nakhon Thai--or "Thai City", as it translates.

It was interesting looking for a place to stay.  We drove by one place that Google Maps showed, but the outward appearance was not too inviting.  So we turned around and went to another place we drove past earlier.  There was a registration booth, but no one was there.  There was a bell to ring, so we tried that. No response.  So we drove down the road further and saw the Petch (Diamond) Resort.  Like the previous place, there was no one around.  We rang the bell that was there.  No response.  But there was a phone number on the window, so we tried that.  That met with more success.

A few minutes later, a couple of people showed up on a motorcycle to help us with our rooms.  By this time, there were several of us waiting.  We decided to splurge and spend some extra dough for an A/C room--$15 altogether.

Is the pretty girl included with the room?

The resort might have more visual appeal at another time of year.  Right now it is the end of dry season and the fields are bare. A cow and her two calves were trying to scrounge up a few morsels in brown soil.   Soon, the paddies will be flooded and shortly after that they will be green with new rice.

View from our room

The better days of the Diamond Resort are behind it.  Still it is nice, quiet place.  Like the place we stayed a couple nights ago, the  rooms have names instead of numbers.  "Diamond."  "Gold."  We are in "Silver."

Diamond Resort

The resort is in a residential area with a lot of run down homes.  This is a farming community and it appears that there is not a lot of money to be had.  We took a short drive to the first restaurant we could find.  "End of the Sky" (Plai Fa) is a Thai style buffet where you cook your own food.  When we first arrived, we weren't sure the place was open because it was so quiet.  But soon the place was bustling.  Many people were getting take out, which means they would give you a bag and you can fill it for 200 baht (about $6).  So people were loading up their bags with raw meat and fish to take home.

We ate our fill and headed back to the resort, then went for a walk down some of the alleys. The people were friendly, although obviously not used to seeing much in the way of foreigners walking down their streets. One woman pointed out where the Seven Eleven is--I guess she figured that's where a foreigner would go to get food.  (She was right.  We had just been there to get some food for breakfast.)

End of the Sky Restaurant

Tomorrow morning, we will head out towards Nong Khai.  We are about an hour drive from the Khorat Plateau--which is the region known as Isaan. Then it's about 4 more hours to our final destination. We are excited to be looking for a place to live.  We have no idea what we will find.

We are going to a District called Phon Phisai.  It is the next district to the east of the city of Nong Khai.  As we go to Phon Phisai, we are mindful that God is already there.  "For what great nation has a god as near to them as the LORD God is near to us whenever we call on him?" we read in Deuteronomy 4:7.  As we journey into what, for us, is the unknown, we are glad that God is near to us.  All we have to do is call on Him.

Top Twelve 2014

It’s time for my yearly challenge of trying to pick one favorite photo from each month of the past year.  With only several thousand to pick from, the process of dong this reminds me of how God has been at work in my life and in the lives of those around me during the past twelve months.

January-Reunion

January was a busy month.  We had just returned from 3 months in the states and soon we were off for a week to look at places to live in Chiang Rai province.  We returned via Chiang Mai and then, on our way back from there, Ingrid broke her arm

Just after we got back to Chachoengsao, we were able to meet up with my Norwegian sister, Ingrid, and he husband, Einar.   It was our first time to meet Einar.  We took them on an outing to Chonburi.  We visited the monkeys at Monkey Hill and we showed them the mangrove conservation area.  They were happy to get to visit this atypical tourist spot (few foreigners come there).  We enjoyed watching the mudskippers and listening to the popping sounds of the shrimp.  I set my camera on the tripod along the boardwalk to catch this selfie.

February-Still Rambling

February was our month to move to our new home in Northern Thailand.  We had found a place the previous month.  When we arrived at the house, we decided the place needed painting before we moved in.  Then, I flew back to Bangkok and headed back to or old place in Chachoengsao to get stuff ready for the moving truck.  That was my romantic Valentine’s day.

After the truck was loaded, I flew back to Chiang Rai and drove the two hours to Wiang Kaen.  We met the movers at about 4 am the next morning and unloaded the truck

We felt it appropriate to hang up this sign on the front post.  My dad had made this to hang up at our campsites on the many trips we made during the 1960’s.

March-Butler Church meets CLC

In March we had a 3 week window between when Bob and Chris came back from Mobilization in North America (MINA) and when Phone Keo and Chansone left on their MINA.  During this time the Changing Life Center had a visit from a medical team from the First Chinese Baptist Church in Fresno.  We were helping with logistics and translation.

A challenge was that many of the people did not speak Thai very well—so we had to rely on the few people that know both Khmu and English—such as Phone Keo.  In the photo above, he is translating for Dr. Jack Patton.  Both are from our home church in Fresno-Butler Church.

April-A new association 

Most of our work here centers around working with leaders of the various Khmu churches in helping them along the path to self-sufficiency.  One of the important steps in that process was to create a formal organization of Khmu Churches that will eventually be completely responsible for the work here.  In April, that organization was launched and leaders were selected.  Here we are praying for the leaders of the organization-Yut, Koon, Amarin and Naan.

May-SOLA Team

SOLA—the young adult ministry of Northview Church in Aboottsford—sent a team to help us with various ministries.  With their assistance we had an English camp in one one of the local schools. They also put on some VBS programs, such as the one pictured here in Huai Jaw church.  With these parachutes anyone can create a lot of fun—even if you don’t speak the language.

June-Funeral 

In June, our next door neighbor passed away.  It was for us an amazing time of learning about North Thai culture and building relationships.  Because of the very close proximity of our houses, we got to experience much of what went on even without leaving our home.  The crowd spilled over onto our front porch during the evening chanting and the canopies set up over the dining are came up under our eaves.

Phawkham left behind his widow, his son (above right) and granddaughter—all of whom lived with him.  Our landlord—younger brother of the deceased—is pictured above on the right.

July-visit from family and vacation 

It was especially hard to pick a photo from this month.  Our landlord’s daughter passed away while she was visiting from her home in Hong Kong, and they asked us to take photos and videos of the event.  Then we had a team come and help us with an English camp and other things.  This team included soem young people from our home church, so we were quite excited about that.  Also this month was our annual MB Family Camp—with people from all the MB churches across Thailand coming together in Kanchanaburi province.

We combined attending Family Camp with joining up with Ingrid’s sister and our niece who came to visit.  This made our longest road trip in Thailand ever.  Not all those who visit us will get to experience Thailand like they did.

We went to one of our favorite places—Sam Roi Yod—located southwest of Bangkok on the Gulf of Thailand.  We saw monkey’s and caves and some really fascinating places.  We stayed at the Juniper Tree lodge, located across the street from the beach pictured here.

August—Pummelo festival 

The end of August saw the convergence of two events.. One event was the biannual conference of Anabaptists which we hosted at the Changing Life Center.  At the same time was the annual pummlo festival in Wiang Kaen.  (Pummelos are a type of citrus fruit that resemble a grapefruit)  Pummelos are one of the leading crops of this area.

The festival is kind of like a county fair—lots of vendors selling things, produce displays, entertainment, fair food (not the same as the Big Fresno Fair) and, to kick it off, a parade.

Lai is a Hmong girl who we have been helping to teach English.  She has become kind of like a daughter to us.  It was a joy for us to see her playing saxophone in the High School Marching Band.  (She is the saxophonist closest to the camera in the above photo.)

September-Rice 

Thailand is the world’s leading exporter of rice.  But there is still plenty left for local consumption.

Before I came to Thailand, I only knew of rice as a crop grown in paddies.  But here in Southeast Asia there is a lot of upland rice.  Generally, the upland rice here is sticky (glutinous) rice.  Sticky rice is favored by many of the tribal groups in Thailand as well as the North Thai and Isaan Thai (both of which are culturally and linguistically distinct from Central Thai).

In the photo above, I am standing on a hillside surrounded by upland rice.  But not far away in the creek bottom is paddy rice.  The paddy rice is darker green because it has not yet begun to form seed heads.  The photo was taken about 12 kilometers up the Ngao River Valley from where we live.

October-Cloud Forest

In October we decided to take the remainder of our vacation time in Chiang Mai province.  While there we got to see some waterfalls and a large garden park. We were able to visit with friends who were there from Fresno as well.  Chiang Mai province is also home to Doi Inthanon—the highest mountain in Thailand.

The top of the mountain is often called a “cloud forest” because it is in the clouds so much of the time. There is a unique area near the summit that looks almost like coastal BC with its mossy trees and there is even an area of sphagnum moss—something quite unusual in the tropics.  There is a boardwalk (pictured above) to take you through this area called Ang Kaa (Crow Basin).

November-Clear Mountain Views

Clear blue skies are unusual here in Northern Thailand.  During rainy season, there are the ubiquitous clouds that turn the skies gray for about 6 months.  Soon after that, the rice and corn is harvested and then they burn off the fields making the skies murky.

But in November, the rainy season here in the north has just come to an end.  And since the rice harvest is just underway, they have not started burning the field yet.  As a result, this is the time of year when we have the bluest skies.  It is a great time to go to the mountains.

The closest area to visit the mountains near us is called Pha Tang, located about 30 kilometers away (the last 15 km contain some very steep stretches).  The elevation there is over 4000 feet.  On this day, the morning fog-clouds were almost finished breaking up.  In the photo above, the warm air was moving up the west slope, effectively halting the movement of the clouds blowing in from the east.  This picture was take about noon time—by 3 pm there was hardly a cloud in the sky.

December-Place of Worship 

In the advent season, we take the opportunity to tell the story of the first Christmas.  Our calendar becomes filled with various Christmas related outreach events.

During this season, we continue to worship at Pa Tung Church.  This church was the dream of Somsak (playing guitar above).  Somsak is from the area and when he was in High School not so long ago, he stayed in the dorms that MB Mission had near the high school campus.  During that time he became a Jesus follower.  He went on to get his education degree and has come back to the area to teach, along with his wife (also a teacher).

There are few Christians in his village (one other adult besides his wife).  He had a bamboo structure erected in his front yard to hold worship services.  The thatch roof had just been replaced a few days before I took the above photo.

There are a couple of reasons we have been worshiping at this location.  One is that worship is conducted in Thai (most of the other worship services in our area churches are in Khmu, which we don’t understand).  The other reason is that this is a very young church and we are able to help with leadership training.

This is a good closing photo, because it highlights what will be the focus of our work for the next few years--helping equip disciples who can lead and grow the church.  Our team will be changing soon, with the addition of another couple, and then we will work together towards this goal.

Jesus said:

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV) 

Slow Down

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.  Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.  So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.  He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.” Luke 10:30-34 (ESV) 



When people ask me if I like traveling, I typically respond, “I like being other places, but I don’t particularly like traveling.”

Usually when I am going some place, my goal is typically on my destination, not my journey.  I tend to dislike disruptions and once I hop on a bicycle or jump in a car, it is really hard for me to stop the vehicle and get out.

Yet life is so much about the journey and not so much about the destination.  If God’s goal for us was only to get to heaven, then He would likely just take us from this world as soon as we believe in Jesus.

But He doesn’t do that.  Because our planetary purpose is about the journey.  Things we often see as interruptions are ministry opportunities that God puts in our lives.  Our choice is whether we want to be like the religious leaders who walked right by the man who had been robbed on the way to Jericho, or like the Samaritan man, whose name has become synonymous for one who helps out those he encounters.

Too often, I live like the former.  One incident is deeply embedded in my brain.

Many years ago, I was assisting a co-worker with his work in Twenty-nine Palms, California.  We had begun the day early, while it was still dark, and had put in a long day.  I was on my way home to Bakersfield and I pulled into a McDonald’s in Barstow for dinner.  I normally don’t like to eat at McDonalds but I just wanted have something fast so that I could be on my way home.

As I got in line, I noticed a homeless man and I felt the Spirit stirring me to buy him a meal.  But, like the religious leaders in the story above, I chose to ignore such promptings, justifying my actions by the fact that I had already put in a long day and I wasn’t even done yet.

When I sat down with my food, I noticed that someone else had bought some food for the homeless man and was giving it to him.  And the Spirit seemed to speak to me, “you ignored me, and someone else is going to get the blessing.”

You think I would have learned from that, but still I have a tendency to rush by ministry opportunities that God puts in front of me on my way to ministries of MY own design and under MY control.

Lord, help me to “stop and smell the roses” as I walk along life’s path.  Help me to be more like the Samaritan who sees the ministry opportunities that You have placed right in front of us, that I have a propensity to totally NOT see.  And by Your grace through Christ Jesus, forgive me for all the times when I refused to see what you wanted me to see in order that I might be a channel of your love in the lives of those around me.  Forgive me my pride in thinking that somehow the ministries that I have designed are more important than the ones You have laid out before me.

The end or the beginning

Last week we were visiting Chao Lao Beach in Chanthaburi Province, about a 3 hour drive south of where we live. I got up early in the morning per my usual style and walked down the beach, hoping to catch a glimpse of the sunrise from the pier that I could see in the distance.

It took me about half an hour to get to the pier and as I was walking out to the end, I thought, “this is it, I can’t go any further, I’ve come to the end of my journey.” But then, I thought, it’s all a manner of perspective. To some people a pier not the end of the journey but only just the beginning of it.

Ingrid and family by the boat
that took them to Canada

Several years ago, such a boat ride marked the beginning of a new life for Ingrid’s family in Canada. To them, when they got on the boat, the journey was barely beginning.

But even as one begins such a trip, one has to keep in mind that such a segment of a journey is not necessarily easy. It could be dangerous (depending on the type of boat one is in) and there will likely be bouts of seasickness. But often we can’t get to our destination without boarding either a boat or a plane.

Our lives are often have piers in them as well. We get to points in our life and say, “well that was fun, but we’ve run into this obstacle, and we can’t go any further.” But maybe it might be the time to say something like, “Wow, looks like our journey is finally about to begin. Looks like it might be rough sailing for a while, but I can’t wait to get to the other side.”

After the nation of Israel had been wandering in the wilderness, they too, came upon an obstacle. They knew they were supposed to go to the land on the other side of the Jordan River, but the River was running at flood stage. Trying to get two million people across a flooding river would seem to be quite the challenge. But God had a plan. It did not involve a boat, but it did involve an ark.

So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. Joshua 3:14-16 (ESV)

Right now, we feel like we are about to get on a boat at the end of the pier. We’ve been on a journey to bring the good news of Jesus to the people of Isaan. We did not expect that our journey would take us the way it did and we finally got to the end of a road where it looked like the journey was over. But there is a boat at the end of the pier with Ban Phruksa-Chachoengsao written on its bow. It seems that if we ride this boat for a while we will eventually get to our destination. We don’t know what the ride will be like, and we may get a little seasick at times. But the end of the pier we are on is not the end of our journey, but only the beginning.

Entrance sign to Ban Phruksa